 USS Woodrow Wilson, a Lafayette-class submarine that formed part of the "41 for Freedom" force
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Operators |  United States Navy |
| Preceded by | Regulus missile submarines |
| Succeeded by | Ohio class |
| Built | 1 November 1958 to 20 March 1965 |
| Completed | 41 |
| Active | 0 |
| Lost | 0 |
| Retired | 39 |
| Preserved | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Length | 381–425 ft (116–130 m) (depending on class)[1] |
| Beam | 33 feet (10 m)[1] |
| Draft | 31 feet (9.4 m)[1] |
| Speed | 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)[1] |
| Test depth | In excess of 400 ft (120 m)[1] |
| Complement | 14 officers, 140 enlisted[1] |
| Armament |
|
41 for Freedom refers to the US Navy Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) submarines from the George Washington, Ethan Allen, Lafayette, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin classes. All of these submarines were commissioned 1959–1967, as the goal was to create a credible, survivable sea-based deterrent as quickly as possible. These submarines were nicknamed "41 for Freedom" once the goal of 41 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) was established in the early 1960s. The 1972 SALT I Treaty limited the number of American submarine-launched ballistic missile tubes to 656, based on the total missile tubes of the forty-one submarines, in line with the treaty's goal of limiting strategic nuclear weapons to the number already existing.[3]
- ^ a b c d e f Jane's Fighting Ships, 1971–72
- ^ Jane's Fighting Ships, 1985–86
- ^ "Nuclear-powered Ballistic Missile Submarines". Fast Attacks and Boomers: Submarines in the Cold War. National Museum of American History. 2000. Retrieved 30 January 2012.